Dark Secrets In Tree Hill
by MarauderishMischiefMaker
Summary: Ya-ya Tree Hill style. After Sam Baker has a huge blowout with her mother Brooke, Brooke's best friends Haley, Peyton, and Rachael try their best to explain their "sister's" troubles to her oldest daughter.
1. Article

**Dark Secrets of Tree Hill **

_**The Four Original Ravens **_

**Brooke Davis (March 6, 1989)**— Younger sister of Jake Davis and best friends with Rachael Gatina, Haley James, and Peyton Scott. Recently given a promise ring by Peyton's twin brother Lucas.

**Haley James (May 11, 1989)**—Bestfriends with Brooke Davis, Rachael Gatina, Peyton Scott. Has a crush on childhood friend Nathan Lee

**Peyton Scott (September 3, 1988)—**Best friends with Brooke Davis, Haley James, and Rachael Gatina., twin sister of Brooke's boyfriend Lucas.

**Rachael Gatina (November 15, 1998)—**Orphaned by a car crash that also claimed the life of her big brother Jimmy. Best friends with Brooke Davis, Peyton Scott, and Haley James

_**Brooke' s Children **_

**Samantha—(April 6, 2015)**

**Jamie—(August 18, 2016)**

**Lily—(May 21, 2017)**

**Angie—(October 27, 2018)**

_June 7, 2006_

_Brooke's Davis surveyed the lawn full of people. Every person in the graduating class of Tree Hill High was at the party tonight and so were almost all the rising seniors and about half of the teenyboppers who just considered themselves lucky to be entering the halls next year as upperclassmen. She even saw a few almost-sophomores who (bless their little hearts) already knew that the only true way to end the school year with a bang was with a Rachael Gatina house party. _

_Brooke's eyes lit up as she noticed Rachael leaning against the front of her house talking with Brooke's best friend Peyton Scott and another girl, Shelley Simon. "There they are. Come on Tutor Girl," Brooke cried, dragging her other best friend Haley James by the elbow. _

"_Ouch Brooke," Haley complained, "that belongs in the socket you know." Brooke smirked good-naturedly but otherwise ignored her._

"_Well look at this its like Clean Teen reunion," remarked Brooke. "All we need now is Chase but honestly he's not all that clean. He appreciates the art of a dirty text message!" _

"_Ooh," her friends simpered. Haley pretend to fan herself while Peyton reached over and jokingly smacked Brooke on the butt. Before Brooke could do anything the yard began to vibrate with the obnoxious beat of the '90s _Spice Girls _song Bevin had once wheedled Brooke into using for a cheerleading routine. _

"_Come on, come on, come on," Bevin pleaded beckoning to the other cheerleaders. The three of them shrugged before falling into step beside Bevin. _

_Rachael stepped aside, her face puckered in disgust as Peyton did the genie arms. "I don't suppose a Clean Teen dances much?" she hissed to Shelley. _

_Shelley scoffed. "Oh please I was doing the whole slut thing long before you bitch!" _

"_Prove it" Rachael challenged. _

_Forty-five minutes later after Lucas had disappeared into the house looking for his sister, the remaining four sat on Gatina rooftop balcony, their feet dangling off the edge. _

"_What are you thinking about Mouth," Skills gazed over at his friend who was absentmindedly spinning an empty beer bottle. _

"_I'll be right back," Mouth said jumping the few feet to the ground and heading straight for a knot of talking girls. _

"_Hey," Brooke smiled at her friend. "What's up?"_

_Without answering Mouth tilted her chin and planted a kiss on her lips. "I always wanted to do that," he sighed. _

"_Okay," Brooke shrugged putting her arms around Chase's waist while she watched Mouth walk off. _

"_Look," Chase said pointing to the moon that was directly over their heads. "It's almost midnight."_

"_Our last minute of high school," breathed Brooke so quietly that only Chase could hear her in the midst of the celebrating new seniors. _

_The ten friends just stood there in a peaceful almost reverent silence that was finally broken by Brooke. _

"_Hey you guys wanna get out of here?" Peyton and Rachael shrugged amicably. Haley leaned her head on Nathan's chest_

"_I know a place that's open all night," Skills answered the ritual already forming in his mind. "Let's roll." The short walk to the River Court was punctuated by the sound of Lucas dribbling a basketball. _

"_Boys against girls," Peyton announced stealing the ball away for her twin. _

"_Traveling!" Lucas accused as she ran with it across the asphalt court._

_No one really kept score during that game; they just played wanting to savor the last night together before branching out on separate paths. One after the other they went to sit on the sidelines, exhausted and sad. _

"_Okay, we're not going to do this," declared Brooke through she didn't try to free either of her hands from the death grip secured by Rachael on one side and Haley on the other. "We're not going to get sad. Nothing's going to change. We'll all be friends forever."_

_Lucas nodded in agreement as he continued to comfort his sobbing sister. "Four years from now we'll be right back here, done with college or wherever we go."_

"_Yeah," echoed Nathan shaking a can of spray paint as he knelt. "? Let's leave our mark, shall we? 'WE WERE HERE' Now everybody sign their name…Brooke. _

February 11, 2050

A woman in her late fifties walked though the dark room scanning for someone she knew was there. After all this is where they had scheduled to meet. Finally she caught sight of her, a figure slumped in her seat meticulously proofreading a very thick file. "You wouldn't be Sam would you?"

The woman looked up. "Actually I would," she replied though not unkindly. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Georgia Silveri. I'm actually here to do your magazine profile…"

Sam jumped up in surprise and scooted over to the further of the two chairs. "Of course, please sit down."

"Thanks," Georgia removed a pencil from behind her ear. "Whenever you're ready."

"Where should I start?"

"At the beginning," the reporter smiled. "Tell me about your mother."

Sam sighed. "My mother…well if you can't say anything else about her she's always been an original. And Brooke Penelope Baker knows that. She's the strongest, most endearing person you will ever meet, so beautiful inside and out that you can't not fall in love with her. But other times she can be so…_frustrating_. She's impulsive bordering on careless. Still you can't blame a person when their model for motherhood is that terrible..."

Georgia nodded. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well Grandma and Grandpa Davis …they paid off Mom's bills and credit cards every month, but not much else. Mom always tried to give the four of us what she never had as a kid. Shortly after high school she got this idea to start a clothing company with her designs. For five years she climbed the ranks you know"

"Sounds like she was making quite a name for herself," Georgia praised.

"She did. New blood in the industry should've never been able to do that so quickly but Mom was the person that charms her way into anything. Then she married Dad, had five kids in barely more than four years and by the time they lost my twin Grandma Davis had swooped to 'relieve' Mom of the company…said she kids and baby fat wouldn't fit into the glamorous jet-setting lifestyle she would be expected to live as a designer."

"Baby fat!" Georgia gasped. "Ouch, and from her own mother! That had to leave a mark."

"For all Mom's scars and baggage she loved us all. She may have even loved too hard. Her expectations were so high my three siblings and I couldn't help but fall short. And then she'd be _disappointed in you_. That was the worst part, when she was disappointed Mom would walk around all stoic and sad, ignoring you for days on end. Sometimes…never mind."

"Let it out Samantha honey," Georgia coaxed. "Seems like you've been holding this in for ages and that cant be healthy."

"Well I got that from Mom too. Sometimes when I was little and it was me who was getting the freeze-out I'd wish to God that Mom would just haul off and hit me. It would've been a hell of a lot easier."

After thanking Sam for the interview and promising to let her know when it would be in print Georgia took her leave. Sam smiled, her close circle of friends (her publicist Dave, and manuscript editor Lena) hadn't changed in more than fifteen years but Georgia had been so easy to talk to that Sam was actually looking forward to the idea of hearing from the woman again.

**Five weeks later **

"Julian! Come down here, quick." Brooke Baker's husband could still here her shriek despite his being two stories about her. "Julian, come quick,"

"What is it?" The sixty-five-year-old man didn't even bother to conceal his yawn. Though he was only three years older than Brooke, four decades of trying to keep up with his spirited, vivacious wife had worn him beyond his years.

"_What is it?" _Brooke cried. "_The Times_ is here for God's sake. Will you look at this, 'EXCULSIVE: Bestselling author Samantha Baker reveals the family influences behind her newest masterpiece.' Page 27." Brooke's manicured fingernails flicked through the magazine. "Ah right he…oh! Oh My God! OH MY GOD!"

Julian ducked the scalding tea that flew everywhere as her coffee cup shattered against the wall coming to the floor in millions of tiny shards.


	2. The Gaunlet

**Chapter Two—The Gauntlet **

While Julian was in Tree Hill trying in vain to comfort his sobbing wife, Sam was seven hundred miles away in the Manhattan apartment she shared with her fiancé reading the same article her jaw dropping with horror.

"_When I was little my mom would haul off and hit [my siblings and] me…There were times when I thought how much easier if the absent movie producer I called 'Daddy' were around to help me shield the littler ones from her blows…"_

" Oh no Jack!" she cried throwing the article down. "God no! Oh shit! Shit, shit, shit! I didn't mean for it to happen like this!"

"So you came off a little harsh," shrugged Jack Daniels set a cup of coffee in front of her. "Sure it'll sting, but Brooke will get over it."

"Not likely. You don't know the kind of woman your talking about here! And you want to know what the real bitch of this situation is, I didn't even say half the goddamn words, and the ones I did say were completely taken out of context. I think now is a brilliant time for a Xanax,"

Sam poured a Dixie cup of water, and headed to the medicine cabinet, but Jack was faster. "Oomph," she gasped running smack into hi s torso as he wrapped his arms around her. "Come on Jack just one capsule."

"First day of book tours only," Jack chuckled. "It's your own rule remember?"

"And you love to use it against me." Sam slumped over to the table, resigned. Her boyfriend waited a diplomatic four minutes before coming to stand behind her. "Honey, if you feel so terrible about it just call _The Times_ and ask for a retraction. "Sam let out the breath she had been holding. "A retraction? Okay, I can do that."

"I really hope this isn't a real emergency because I only one bottle of vodka," remarked Haley Lee from the back seat of her Peyton's vintage Comet.

Rachael Gatina-McFadden cocked a graying eyebrow, the only part she didn't dye its former color in her relentless crusade against aging.

"We're not all in the AA Rach," Peyton said parking the car in the Bakers' driveway. Rachael rolled and eyes as she rapped her knuckles on the pane.

"Anyone?" Peyton called.

"Not a soul. Poor man is probably hiding."

"Maybe she didn't hear us?" Peyton suggested.

"Oh she knows we're here," Haley assured. "Where else would we be," she added as Rachael came back to stand with the others.

I swear. That place anonymous for a reason,"

"Worst kept secret on this earth and you know it," Haley came around the car and honked the horn through Peyton's still-open window. "Besides there are no secrets among the Ravens. Brooke!" Silence. "We're here honey!"

The three of them exchanged worried looks until Rachael broke the quiet.

"I've got my key!"

Julian seemed relieved as they came into the kitchen more than willing to leave Brooke's breakdown in the capable hands of her friends.

"That ungrateful little bitch," Brooke sobbed twenty minutes later. "I would except from my own mother if she were still alive but Samantha? SAMANTHA!"

"Take a swallow of this," soothed Peyton placing a Bloody Mary in front of her. Brooke took a shaky sip.

"Stronger," Peyton nodded and took it back. "I mean what in the could've possessed—do you know how long I was in labor with that girl."

"Three hours not even that." Rachael replied. "If I remember correctly you almost gave birth in the back of Julian's car."

"Well it felt longer. Contractions like a bitch."

"Remind me never to speak to those damn media vultures," Peyton growled.

Haley looked up from stirring her own drink. "You and I both know how the limelight can be Brooke. The media can twist a story into whatever the hell the want. "

"All the more reason to give Sam the benefit of the doubt, just call her."

Brooke glared around wildly. "You know what Rachael ever since you stopped drinking, you stopped thinking clearly," Brooke screamed. "How can I call someone who as far as I'm concerned never existed in the first place!" Feeling their eyes boring into her she sighed. "Give me the phone Haley love."

Sam's head bolted upward as she was instantly alerting by the ringing phone.

"I wonder who that would be this early in the morning?" asked Jack wrinkling his brow.

"I know exactly who it is!" Sam grumbled. "Don't get that…Jack don't…John Jack Daniels don't answer that phone! Don't…"

"You know I love you sweetie," Jack said kissing her forehead. "But this is one time I'm ignoring you." He reached for the ringing receiver.

"Sam and Jack, oh how are you Brooke?" He frowned lightly when Sam slapped her hand to her forehead.

"Oh you know…fantastic," Mrs. Baker answered shortly. Is Samantha there? Well of course she is. Standing right next to you am I right?"

"What did you do that for?" Sam hissed angrily into his other ear. Jack sighed putting his hand over the receiver.

"She seems fine to me babe," he whispered. "Take it!"

"No!"

Brooke removed the phone from her ear so the other Ravens could her the small struggle that ensued. Finally Jack said, "Talk to her!" in a commanding tone and there were a couple seconds of silence.

"Mom," Sam murmured tentatively. Even without the phone's amplification she had to hold it at arms length to avoid being deafened by her mother shrieks.

"Sammy?" Another voice came over the line. The Ravens.

"Peyton?"

"Sam," Rachael hollered grabbing the phone. "Your mom will call you back."

"You're dead!" Brooke screamed. "You don't exist!" Finally one of them overpowered her and the line went dead.

Jack looked on in shock. "Well that was special," he finally choked out. Sam said nothing. "Honey," he called uncertainly. "Can I have some sort of signal you're alive?"

Sam spun around, still seeing red and beat the cordless phone against the counter with vigor as if she hoped Brooke would some how be able to feel the blows. "I am sick and tired of her tantrums and her drunken rages!"

"Gee that first part sounds a lot like—"

"Did you hear the ice clinking in her wine glass? That was our lullaby growing up. The sounds of my 'happy childhood!'

Jack gritted his teeth. "Why do you two have peck at each other like this huh? What's wrong with a simple 'Hey Mom, how are you? Uh-huh…uh-huh…love you too…got to get off now but I'll see you later.' What in the hell is wrong is a civil conservation?"

Someone who hadn't spent the first seventeen years of life in the Baker house would naturally think that Brooke was the last person one would describe using the adjective 'difficult' Sam sighed, but she couldn't fault her fiancé. "In the real world," she explained patiently. "The one where the normal people live, you would be right. But, let's face it, this my mother we're talking about here. And Brooke Davis-Baker—"

"Who is a grown woman," Jack pointed out.

"—has never gotten over anything in her privileged, booze-soaked, self-centered, godforsaken life! I wouldn't put it past her to…"

"To what Sam, to purge all memories of you from the damn house so it looks like you never existed or something? Come on!"


	3. Hit Me With Your Best Shot

**Chapter Three—Hit Me With Your Best Shot **

**March 20, 2050**

A few days later the phone call fiasco none of the Baker siblings or Ravens were speaking to her on what Sam imagined were direct orders from Brooke. That was one of the main reasons Samantha was so surprised to see a manila envelope with a Tree Hill postmark in the corner. Curious in spite of herself Sam slit the envelope with her fingernail cutting her thumb on the jagged edge of one photo.

"What the…?" she hissed as she sucked the metallic-tasting blood. It was a picture taken of three of the siblings taken before the Tree Hill High Spring Formal. Fifteen-year-old Jamie was sandwiched between his younger and older sister. Sam realized with horror that her face was cut of the photo. Searching through the rest she saw that her image was cut out of every picture in the envelope. Brooke had made it look as though her oldest daughter had never existed.

The realization gave her a pounding headache in her temples. Anger flared up in her chest, she couldn't believe her mother would be so heartless. There were times in Sam's early childhood when Brooke would chastise the four of them for pecking at each other because they were the only siblings each other had. Inevitably there would be a story about how Brooke's relationship with her brother helped her get through the bad times with their parents Victoria and Dan.

"_Sometimes you will meet people in life that won't be very nice," she would ultimately finish, "but just like Uncle Jake and I, you will always have each other, not to mention a mommy and daddy who love you very much."_

"Now you just love your liquor cabinet," said Sam putting the ruined pictures in the trash. "You're worse than Grandma ever was, at least she knew she was a bitch."

"Honey?" Jack called from the foyer, a rhetorical question since they always had coffee together when he got home. "Hey Dickenson did you get any writing done today?" he asked kissing the crown of her head.

"For your information yes, and just because I do my writing at home does not make me a recluse!" she snapped.

Her fiancé jumped back. "I know that," he assured her quickly changing the subject. "I went to the market on the way home I thought we could grill some hot dogs for dinner."

"In March?" Sam laughed.

"It's almost April," Jack pointed out. "Anyway I saw Dave and he told me to give you these." He handed her two slips of paper. "Family passes for the Tree Hill leg of our tour."

Without a word Sam put her mug down and went into the drawers for the kitchen scissors, promptly snipping the colorful paper in half. "That part of the tour is being—" She shoved the mutilated photos toward him and stomped out the room/ "Cancelled!" she called over her shoulder.

"I was afraid this would happen, " he muttered.

"Yeah, yeah you're a regular oracle babe," replied Sam sweeping the scraps into a mailing envelope.

"How successful would I be in stopping you," asked Jack as he watched her seal the envelope.

"I'm not even started."

March 23, 2050

"What can I do for you today Mrs. Baker," Tim Ashcroft said as he settled behind the desk in his Tree Hill law office.

"Just a routine check in Tim," replied Brooke. "Who do I have listed as the executor of my estate?"

"Let's see." The attorney found that information and flipped through it. "Typically the oldest child of the deceased serves as the executor but I'm not quite sure…yep Samantha Leigh Baker."

"Yes well since Sam and I are no longer on speaking terms my son Jamie will be taking over that responsibility. And I'd like to rework the document so that Sam's inheritance is split between my other three children."

Tim nodded. "I can do that but Brooke are you positive you want to cut Samantha out completely. You look to be in pristine health and this dispute may be settled before we even have to worry about who inherits what?"

Brooke nodded resolutely

"All right then I'll make the necessary changes. Say hello to Julian for me."

Brooke stopped at the end of the drive and took the letters out. One of them was a cream envelope addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Julian A. Baker; Brooke ran into the house as fast as her varicose legs could carry her. "Julian, come 'ere!" she shouted up to the second floor breaking the envelope's seal like a kid on Christmas morning. "Oh my God, she's going to do it!"

"Who is doing what?" Julian came down the steps pushing his reading glasses back on to his nose.

"Samantha," his wife explained impatiently, "is finally going to marry that fiancé of hers."

Julian considered. "One does this mean you two are speaking—if so hallelujah—and two how much is it going to cost be to throw them a reception?"

"Oh, look for yourself!" Brooke thrust it at him.

You are most cordially invited to attend the nuptials of

Miss Samantha Leigh Baker

And

Mr. John Thomas Daniels

Saturday the of

St. Church Avenue, Manhattan, New York City

At :45 pm.

Followed by refreshments at

"Well when the hell is it?" Julian squinted, holding the card up to the light. "And where the hell is it?"

"What in the world are you talking about?" Brooke snapped.

"This doesn't do us any good if the information is cut out. It looks like a botched ransom note." The card being snatched out of his hand was nothing compared to the earth-shattering scream the poor man endured next.

"THAT BITCH IS UNBELIEVABLE!" Brooke bellowed marching to the phone.

"Okay honey I'll be…not here," Julian trailed ushered back up the stairs with a wave of his wife's hand, a command he was glad to follow.

**Ravens ~ Ravens ~ Ravens**

Sam rushed out of the bathroom when the phone rang. "Don't answer!" she warned, her legs half-shaven. "It's her, I'm telling you it's her!"

"I'll handle it," Jack whispered. "Hello Brooke," he drawled into the phone. "So nice to talk to you again. Did you call to talk to Sam or to hang up again?"

Brooke laughed at Jack's attempt to get a rise out of her. "Well, no," she replied. "I only called to say that I've received the invitation and all I'll be sending is my condolences to you!"

Jack screwed up his face. "You know Brooke I am going to say to you exactly what I'd say to my own mother in this situation. Grow up!" _Yes_! _ Sam pumped her fist. Thank you God, thank you Go…_ _"_What are you so excited about Sam? The same thing goes for you, both of you grown women are acting like children! You—"

Jack dropped the phone as if it were a snake that had bitten him. "Did your mother just hang up on me?"

Sam smirked.

"You're mother just hung up on me!"

"Mm-hmm"

"Let me tell something, I don't know how your old man has hung in there for forty-some-odd years.

"For one thing, they've slept in separate bedrooms since Lily was a baby. Or was it Jamie?" She shrugged. "Point is he's had a lot of time to himself."

Jack laughed. "Your dad snores?"

Sam came over and sat on his lap. "My dad _breathes_. But he does love her. He really loves her."


End file.
